Oaklawn Park report

HOT SPRINGS — Borel still stuck on No. 4,999

Same race, same result.

Jockey Calvin Borel and trainer Steve Hobby of Hot Springs will have to wait another day to register career milestone victories after both were beaten in Friday afternoon’s second race at Oaklawn Park.

Hobby (999 victories) saddled Debit Card to a second-place finish, beaten a half-length by Shimmy Tinjo, in the starter allowance sprint for older horses.

Borel (4,999 victories) finished 3 1-2 lengths farther back in third aboard Homeboykris, owned by Michael Hui of Little Rock and trained by Ron Moquett of Hot Springs.

Neither Borel nor Hobby were involved in any other races on the nine-race card.

Borel, who is returning from a broken wrist, is trying to become the 26th jockey in North America with 5,000 victories.

Borel is winless in seven mounts since his last victory, Dec. 28 at Fair Grounds in New Orleans.

He is named on two horses today - Francois in the first race and Truman’s Commander in the fourth race.

Truman’s Commander is owned by Harry Rosenblum of Little Rock and trained by Moquett.

Truman’s Commander, who finished 13th in the 2011 Arkansas Derby, hasn’t started since Sept.

22 because of an illness, Rosenblum said.

Borel is scheduled to ride three horses Sunday, including Maiden Warrior for his older brother, trainer Cecil Borel.

Hobby’s only scheduled starter today is Midnight Music, a 3-year-old maiden owned by Alex and JoAnn Lieblong of Conway, in the ninth race.

Rebel yell

Big Lute and Will Take Charge are being pointed for the $600,000 Grade II Rebel Stakes on March 16, their respective trainers said Friday morning.

Big Lute, in just his second career start, finished seventh in Monday’s $300,000 Grade III Southwest Stakes after chasing Super Ninety Nine until the top of the stretch of the 1 1-16-mile race.

Super Ninety Nine won the Southwest by 11 1/4 lengths.

“He just got tired - plain and simple,” said Steve Hobby of Hot Springs, trainer of Big Lute. “If he wouldn’t have tried to win, maybe we could have gotten a piece. How did he know that horse had so damn many gears?”

Big Lute was coming off a 4 3/4-length victory sprinting Feb. 1.

The Midnight Lute colt is owned by Alex and JoAnn Lieblong of Conway.

Hall of Fame trainer D.

Wayne Lukas said Will Take Charge is headed to the Rebel after finishing sixth in the Southwest.

Will Take Charge raced last much of the way, even trailing his late-running stablemate, Channel Isle.

Lukas said Will Take Charge came out of the race with no physical problems, so he’s just drawing a line through the Southwest.

“We didn’t have an explanation for that one,” Lukas said. “He got that mud … he got away a halfstep late and kind of lost his confidence.”

Will Take Charge, owned by Willis Horton of Marshall, won the $150,000 Smarty Jones Stakes on Jan. 21.

Carve update

Unbeaten Carve is under consideration for the $600,000 Grade II Rebel Stakes on March 16, owner Mike Langford of Jonesboro said.

Carve earned an 81 Beyer Speed Figure for an entry-level allowance victory Sunday under Luis Quinonez.

The son of First Samurairan 1 1/16 miles in 1:45.87, edging Triple Crown nominee Title Contender by three-quarters of a length.

Langford claimed Carve out of his Jan. 25 debut victory, also at 1 1/16 miles, for $30,000.

Langford said he was looking for a horse to claim to rebuild his stable, and he and trainer Steve Asmussen, independent of each other, landed on Carve.

“So far, so good,” Langford said.

‘Glass’ sold

So Raise Yourglass, a career debut winner last Saturday for trainer Mac Robertson, was sold privately Thursday for “six figures,” said the trainer’s wife, Cyndi.

A 3-year-old Bob and John colt, So Raise Yourglass was moved to trainer Ken McPeek, Robertson said.

So Raise Yourglass was purchased for $18,000 at the Keeneland September Yearling Sale.

Cyndi Robertson said she picked out the colt, which was also co-owned by her husband.

So Raise Yourglass overcame a troubled trip to earn a 74 Beyer Speed Figure for his 1-length victory.

Travel plans?

Late Friday morning, Hall of Fame trainer D. Wayne Lukas said he was still considering traveling to New Orleans to saddle Oxbow in today’s $400,000 Grade II Risen Star Stakes for 3-yearolds at Fair Grounds.

Lukas normally doesn’t leave his Oaklawn base to saddle his horses in out-of state stakes races.

“I’m trying to, but the flights … it’s horrible to get to New Orleans,” Lukas said.

“You’re almost better off driving.”

What about driving?

“It’s only 8 hours,” Lukas said. “It’s not like I don’t have a nice car.”

Big $ rider

Rosemary Homeister Jr. rode her fifth winner of the meeting when Duke of Del Rey scored a front-running 1-length victory in Thursday’s first race, which had a purse of $40,000.

Homeister, the second winningest female rider in North American history, is riding at Oaklawn for the first time this year.

Homeister’s other victories at the meeting included Muazzaz for trainer Dan Peitz, a Little Rock native, and Night Seeker for trainer Steve Hobby of Hot Springs.

Those races carried purses of $54,000 and $53,000, respectively, among the highest for non-stakes at Oaklawn.

Homeister said Oaklawn racing secretary Pat Pope joked that she “only wins the ones with the big money in them.”

“It started out a little bit slow, and I was prepared for that because I know coming in here it was going to be a very tough meet,” Homeister said, who has already surpassed last year’s victory total. “You have a lot of outfits that are very loyal to ride their riders. It’s just breaking in, meeting new people and trying to ride for the outfits that I’ve already been riding for, say in Chicago or Delaware.”Baby talk

Anita Cauley lives in Louisville, Ky., but Monday she and her best friend, Marie McDonald of Little Rock, were at Oaklawn awaiting the arrival of On Fire Baby, Cauley’s multiple graded stakes winner.

At 5:42 a.m.

“Of course, nobody else was there but us,” Cauley said. “We had to be there.”

Following an 18-hour van ride from Florida, On Fire Baby returned to trainer Gary “Red Dog” Hartlage’s barn.

On Fire Baby hasn’t started since May 28 because of bone bruising in both knees and a muscle problem behind.

On Fire Baby spent a little more than three months in Florida, recuperating at Eisaman Equine near Ocala, and resumed training in early January.

Cauley said the 4-year-old has matured physically and could run at Oaklawn before the meeting ends April 13.

On Fire Baby was one Oaklawn’s top 3-year-old fillies last year, winning the $125,000 Grade III Honeybee Stakes and finishing third against males in the $100,000 Smarty Jones Stakes.

Final furlong

Regular Oaklawn programs will not be available until this morning because of technical difficulties at a Hot Springs print shop, Oaklawn announced Friday afternoon. … There was no renovation break during training hours Friday, and the track closed at 10 a.m., 30 minutes earlier than normal, to give maintenance crews more time to squeeze water from the surface, listed muddy for all nine races. The majority of the winners came from well off the pace, and several paths off the rail. … There were 10 claims Friday, totalling $145,000. Owner/trainer Bruce Riecken won an eight-way shake, or blind draw, to claim Prophet’s Song out of the fifth race for $5,000.

Day 25 at a glance

ATTENDANCE 6,674 ON-TRACK HANDLE $451,605.03 OFF-TRACK HANDLE $2,011,237.63 TOTAL HANDLE $2,462,842.66 CLASSIX CARRYOVER $4,569.43 FRIDAY’S STARS Trainers Mac Robertson and Joe Martin of Royal each saddled two winners.

Martin has five victories in the last four racing days. Luis Quinonez rode two winners.

TIMES First post for the nine races is 1 p.m.

Gates open at 11 a.m.

TELEVISION HRTV (full card), Oaklawn Today replays (8 p.m., Resort Cable Channel 5 -11 p.m., KARZ, Channel 42, Little Rock, 11 p.m.) RADIO Oaklawn Morning Line (8:45 a.m., KVRE-FM, 92.9, Hot Springs Village) Oaklawn Race Day (11 a.m., KABZ-FM, 103.7, Little Rock) TODAY’S “DAWN AT OAKLAWN” (8 a.m.-10:30 a.m. at South Apron) Host: Terry Wallace.

Special guests: Trainer Steve Hobby of Hot Springs Equibase chart caller Jeff Taylor, a Perryville native. Barn tours.

PRICES Admission ($2); parking in Oaklawn lots ($2); reserved seats; ($4.50 weekends);

programs ($2). Daily Racing Form on track ($5, $6.50); tip sheets ($2-$5)

WAGERING MENU

Win, place, show (all races)

Exacta (all races)

Trifecta (all races)

Superfecta (races 4 and 6 and last race)

Daily double (Races 1-2, 8-9)

CLASSIX (races 3-8)

Pick-3 (begins with races 4, 5 and 7)

Pick-4 (begins with race 6)